<p>Academics:</p>
<p>GPA: 3.78</p>
<p>Preface: I am currently a CS major at a top 30 University that also has a top 10 undergraduate engineering program. The reason I'm interested in transferring is because I am extremely interested in Berkeley's Upper-Division AI, Machine Learning, Complexity Analysis, and Algorithm courses.</p>
<p>I will have fulfilled the following course equivalents by the end of Spring 2014:
Math 53
Math 54
Physics 7A
Physics 7B
English R1A
English R2B
CS 61A
CS 70
CS 61B
CS 61C</p>
<p>Other Courses Equivalencies:
Econ 1
Econ 2
Stat 2</p>
<p>Relevant AP Credit:
AP Chemistry - 5
AP Biology - 5
AP Calc BC - 5</p>
<p>Activities:
2 Summer Laboratory Research Assistant Positions
Member of HKN at current University</p>
<p>Cons:
Out Of State (lower priority than CCs)
I have no EE or CE courses (I don't know how impactful that is because I'm interested in Option IV/CSE?)
My main background is in C++/Java (I know Berkeley demands heavy experience in Python)</p>
<p>Other:
Programming: C, Assembly, C++, Java, Javascript, Perl, Python, CSS, PHP, SQL, Lisp, Haskell, TeX</p>
<p>SAT: 2270 (Math: 800/ Reading: 740/ Writing: 730)
SAT II: Math 2 - 800
SAT II: Physics - 800</p>
<p>I just wanted to gauge where I stand in the admission process.Thank you all for taking the time to read my post. :)</p>
<p>First of all, can you afford Berkeley as an out-of-state student?</p>
<p>Second, are you sure that you have taken the equivalents of CS 61A and 70? Also, Economics 1 and 2 are considered equivalent courses (either one includes introductory micro and macro economics).</p>
<p>Hello @ucbalumnus !
The tuition is actually less than what I pay now.
Yep, I took the equivalents in my previous two semesters.
With Econ, I took one intro macro course and one intro micro course. So I didn’t know how to list that haha.</p>
<p>It’s very, very hard to find equivalents to CS61A and CS70. CS61B/C are unlikely to articulate as well. If they do transfer, more power to you, but unless you’ve spoken directly to a Berkeley ESS adviser and been told the courses are equivalent, assume they are not and that you’ll have to retake them.</p>
<p>Coming from a CCC, I’d have guessed you’d have a good/okay chance, but even that’s never a sure thing. Essays and ECs can make a big difference as well.</p>
<p>Also, not particularly helpful for admissions, but if the worst should happen, Algorithms and AI both have webcasts available, and I’d imagine the assignments are public as well, so you should be able to follow along if they interest you. Machine Learning is still really new, disorganized, kicking people out, etc and I’m pretty sure there’s no webcasts of it yet. But at least for 170 and 188 you can find the materials online if you’re drawn to the classes for personal interest.</p>
<p>Some other notes on your post:
EE classes: EECS requires EE20/EE20N, and EE40 (circuits). So that’s another 2 lower div classes you’ll have to take here if you get in… focusing on CS doesn’t excuse that requirement unless you’re in L&S CS (different major/admissions).</p>
<p>Python: You will be constantly thrown into different languages here. 61A is primarily taught in Python, but there’s also a Scheme version offered, and both have some Scheme and logic programming. Some student opt for E7 (Matlab) instead. 61B changes over to Java. 61C becomes C, MIPS, Logisim, etc. Upper divs can do whatever they’d like… Matlab, C++, Java/Android, Ruby, etc. Knowing how to program will get you pretty far, and you should be able to pick up new languages in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>A course equivalent to CS 61A will probably be one using [this</a> book](<a href=“http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/]this”>http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/), which may be offered at [these</a> schools](<a href=“http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/adopt-list.html]these”>http://mitpress.mit.edu/sicp/adopt-list.html).</p>
<p>CS 70 includes both discrete math and some calculus-based probability theory, so it may be difficult to find an exactly equivalent course, although if you have taken that content in separate courses, you may want to see if the combination can count.</p>
<p>CS 61B is a data structures course, and CS 61C is a machine structures or computer organization course.</p>
<p>The course web sites are here if you want to check what topics are in each course:
<a href=“CAS - Central Authentication Service”>http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/classes-eecs.html</a></p>
<p>@ucbalumnus @failure622</p>
<p>Thank you two so much for your help! :)</p>
<p>Sorry for the late reply. After doing some research, I’m confident the data structures (taught in C++) course and the computer organization course (taunt in C and Assembly) I took will be transferable for CS61B and CS61C. For CS70, I took separate a multivariable probability and a discrete structures course, so I think there would be no problem there either.
As for 61A, I’m not sure. Most of the CS61A syllabus does match up with my intermediate programming course(classes, inheritance, polymorphism, functional programming, tail/nontail recursion, iterators,etc.). But it does include very few topics specific to python (e.g. dictionaries). Although I would not mind just having to retake 61A though. I think the python experience could be really helpful. And I don’t think it would be that bad for someone who already has experience in data structures. I don’t mind having a circuits course and a signals/systems course either.
I only have one question left. Given that the UC system tends to favor/give priority to CC students, does attending an out of state top-tier undergrad engineering school put me at an advantage or disadvantage? </p>